Marker buoy



Sept. 6, 1955 T. H. HAJECATE MARKER BUOY Filed Feb. 20, 1953 Fig.

Thomas H Ha/ecae l 2l w INVENTOR. M20/2am @d/m04; 19mm auavss Patented Sept. 6, 1955 MARKER BUoY Thomas H. Haiecate, Houston, Tex., assignor to The Light House, Inc.,` a corporation of Texas Application February 20, 1953, Serial No. 337,991

3 claims. (Cl. 9 8) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in oating navigational aids, generally speaking, but has particular reference to a specially constructed and novelly performing buoy designed for marking ship channels, underwater pipe lines, drilling sites, similar obstructions and hazards to navigation, boundaries of one type or another, private water-ways, and the like.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a buoy which is characterized by a column or upright having a reflecting head at the upper end of the column, said head being possessed of desired light and radar reilecti ing properties to promote reliable reflectivity results and excellent day and night visibility and detection worthwhile safeguards indeed.

Another object of the invention has to do with the stated rellector head which can be seen and detected with requisite clarity from varying distances and which is effective in a circle throughout 360 degrees.

Briefly, the preferred embodiment of the buoy comprises a column characterized by a buoyant body section Construed from a further point of view, novelty is predicated on a knockdown column embodying a concrete base of prerequisite ballast requirements, a buoyant body section, said column providing more freeboard than draft and being resistant to moisture absorption, and a non-corrodible light reecting head of lightweight material 1 atop said column, resulting in a sturdy high-freeboard marker.

More explicitly, the preferred structural embodiment has to do with a concrete base section having an embedded mooring eye and bolt holes, a body section made up of buoyant components stacked one upon said base section and the others one upon another, said components having aligned bolt holes which are also aligned with the bolt holes in said base section, bolts passing through their selected and respective bolt holes and rendering said sections capable of being dismantled for handling and repairs, and a light and radar reflecting section mounted atop said buoyant section.

Objects, features, and advantages in addition to those specifically numerated will doubtless become apparent to the reader upon making an analytical study of the detailed description and claims in conjunction with the accompanying sheet of drawings.

In the drawings, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a marker buoy consquare foot.

structed in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal cross-section on the line 2 2 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows; and,

Figure 3 is a view in central vertical section with parts in elevation, taken on the approximate line 3 3 of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Starting with the base or ballast section 4, reference is had to Figure 3 wherein it will be seen that this is characterized by a cast or molded concrete base member 10 which is preferably, but not necessarily cylindrical in crosssection and of a size determined by required ballast and it is provided with pairs of diametrically opposite bolt holes 12-12, or any other type of apertures used for assembly opening through the top and bottom sides. At the center, and suitably embedded is an eye bolt 14 with the eye exposed and on the lower end, as at 16, which eye is adapted for appropriately anchoring and mooring the buoy at the spot desired. The body section is characterized by a plurality of vertically stacked components in superimposed relation in the manner shown and each may be described as a gas-impregnated plastic disc or block 18. These blocks are provided with aligned bolt holes 20 which register with each other and also with the bolt holes 12-12 in order to permit the passage therethrough of the assembling and linking rods or bolts 22. The headed upper ends are denoted at k24-24 and the nut equipped ends at 26-26. It is desirable to dismantle the column whenever necessary or desired for handling and repairs and the structural arrangement just covered and therefore provides the aforementioned knock-down feature, The complete outside or exterior surfaces of the base and body section are suitably covered with a noncorrodible, non-electrolytic jacket 28.

The head section is made up of radially disposed fins or reflectors which are suitably shaped and are denoted each by the numerals 30. These are appropriately fastened to the column and are provided with air spill holes 32-32. Each fin is of appropriate construction and the outside surface is a salt resistant material or sheeting 34 possessed of the desired reective properties. In this connection, I would stress the advantage attained because of the non-corrodible properties, lightness of weight and reflectivity for reliable day and night visibility. The number of gas-impregnated discs employed is determined by the desired buoyancy, obviously. It is to be repeated that these discs or blocks are resistant to moisture absorption and this section resists cracking and chipping. In fact, the over-all buoy is substantially sink proof and this is a desirable feature where collision is often a factor to be considered.

Reverting to the body section and particularly to the requirements thereof commercially and otherwise the basic physical properties of the material which is preferably used are such that the minimum density of each disc should be approximately 4 to 15 pounds per cubic foot. The chemical stability should be such as to resist deterioration from the action of sea water and marine life. Also the material must have the ability to resist absorbing water in the nature of less than 2% by volume over a long period of total immersion. And, too, the material must be relatively hard and have a compressive strength in the amount of approximately 50 pounds per In accomplishment of these results I have used a product identiiied on the market as Rubatex. Also, I have used a material called Onazote Both of these products are acceptably known as expanded cellular synthetic rubber. What is more experiments with expanded polystyrene have been successfully carried out.

In respect to the material used in the production of the jacket 28, the principal prerequisites thereof call for a material which is light in weight with a good strength to Weight ratio such as aluminum or ber glass both of which have been found to be satisfactorily resistant to the corrosive action of sea water. Although experimentations have involved the use of certain commercial plastics such as so-called moldable ber glass, sheet aluminum with magnesium and chromium has been satisfactorily utilized.

For full appreciation of the structure disclosed, it is advisable to keep in mind the factors of extreme lightness in weight, versatility as to buoyancy requirements, the knockdown character and therefore the versatility in respect to replacement of worn and damaged parts. Then, too, there are to be considered the anti-corrosive qualities, the sinkproof factor because the body is substantially punctureproof as well as the non-electrolytic properties.

Since numerous structural modifications and changes in mode of assembling the parts will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the in- 'vention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modications in shapes, sizes, and materials, falling within the scope of the appended claims, may be resorted to in actual practice.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A marker buoy comprising, in combination, a

buoyant body section having a ballast section at its lower end, and light and radar reflecting section on its upper end, the reective properties of the reectors in latter section being effective for both day and night requirements, said light reflecting section comprising a plurality of upstanding equidistant circumferentially spaced tins covered with light reective sheet material, the latter being salt resisting, non-corrodible and visible in a circle ranging 360 degrees, said body section being composed of separable components superimposed atop one another, said components being separably bolted together and being interchangeable and replaceable, and a non-corrodible, non-electrolytic jacket completely encasing said ballast section and body section.

2. AThe structure denedin claim l, wherein each component is a circular block of; gas-impregnated com- 'm'er'cial plastics, a material which is solid, moisture resistant and crashproof, whereby to render said buoy virtually sink-proof.

3. A marking buoy and navigation aid comprising, in combination, a concrete base and ballast section provided with eccentrically 4arranged vertical bolt holes, an eye bolt anchored centrally in said base section in a bolt hole provided therefor, the eye-equipped end of said eyebolt being disposed accessibly at the bottom of said base section, a body section comprising buoyant components axially aligned and stacked one upon the base section and the others one upon eachother, said components having aligned bolt holes which are, in turn, aligned with the bolt holes in said base section, readily insertable and removable bolts passing through their selected and respective bolt holes and rendering said buoyant components accessible for handling and repairs and, in combination, with said base section providing a knockdown column, and a light and radar reecting section mounted atop said buoyant body section, said light reflecting section 'comprising a plurality of upstanding equidistant circumferentially spacedns covered with light reflective 'sheet material, the latter being salt resisting, non-corrodible and rendering said tins visible throughout a circle of 360 degrees.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 421,686 Fagan et al Feb. 18, 1890 977,959 Matthews Dec. l6, 1910 1,813,874 Eskilson July 7, 1931 1,974,832 Peterson Sept. v25, 1934 l2,137,468 Walters Nov. 22, 1938 2,450,417 Bossi Oct. 5, .1.948 2,540,831 Peumer Feb. 6, 1951 2,553,798 Van Devant'er May 22, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 15,303 Great Britain July v20, 1908 

